First big rumor in a while from Francys Romero, who has been pretty accurate about this kind of stuff...
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2025/international/ MLB.com released their top 50 int’l signee list and Kevin Alvarez ranked #6. Based on his scouting grades he would rank 1st or 2nd among Astros prospects, as Melton is the only other prospect with a 55 overall grade. I am skeptical he is that good and would rank him in the 6-20 range. I don’t think Houston is connected to any of the other players on that top 50.
Giving away $1 million in International Money to the Yankees in the Ferguson Trade will be one of the worst trades in Astros History. So many Prospects would've been signed with $1 million. Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Jose Urquidy, Luis Garcia, Teoscar Hernandez.
The International Money, which was $750,000, was for this period. It was available because some prospects they were expected to sign, turned out to be older than claimed. The number was 3 to 5 depending on which story you read. One of these prospects apparently was Anderson Paula. So as a result of allocating money to these prospects and then not signing them, the money was available with nobody to use it on. Getting rid of it in a trade was smart in my opinion.
He is all bat. He is good enough to play a passable corner outfield because he is fundamentally sound - but it’s his bat that is potentially special. Astros have some degree of interest/conversations with several others in the top 50.
Too lazy to find the 2024 IFA thread, but it appears that the Astros signed Mexican C Arturo Flores from Saltillo of the Mexican League: https://www.saraperos.com.mx/notici...s-de-saltillo-firmo-con-los-astros-de-houston He's a 19-year-old from Nayarit (a state on Mexico's Pacific coast, by way of Las Vegas). Saltillo signed him last year and I guess he was training with their reserve team.
No one knows how good he will or will not be, especially as a hitter against advanced pitching. He stands out against his peers as a hitter - he doesn’t with his glove. Could that change? It’s possible but he isn’t a prospect without his bat. There are a fair number of kids that can do what he does with his glove - not the case with his bat. Take that as you want - and I agree there is a lot of prognosticating with a 16 year old in baseball … but I would be surprised if he ended up being a good MLB fielder.
An all bat guy named Alvarez? If he could be ready to replace our current all bat guy named Alvarez by 2029 that would be nice.
I was not expecting him to play SS or CF. I just get pissed off at kids being pigeonholed as "this or that" when they're that young. I was a very good athlete in my teens, I was a much better athlete in my early 20's, just because of maturation
Francys Romero reporting that in the next few days the Astros will be signing international RHP Cuban prospect Alex Santiago Gonzalez. Gonzalez is 18 years old, 6'4", 200 lbs with a fastball consistently in the 95mph range. He is also reporting that when the next international period opens in January, the Astros will be signing 17 year old Cuban RHP Adriano Marrero. He is 6'3" with a fastball in the 90-93 range. Expected bonus is $400,000.
